Recently we found Paul Madary's blog post about digital signatures in a Univeral Application (UWP) with iText 7, and we wanted to share it. Paul gracefully agreed to let us do that, and as a bonus we upgraded the code to be usable out-of-the-box with iText 7.1.3. The only change needed is the method SignDocumentSignature.

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In partnership with iText, the provider of world’s most widely used PDF development library, and GlobalSign, a leading provider of identity and security services, Zetes developed the eaZySign solution. The new eaZySign platform solves two of the most common challenges to digital signature adoption by making it easy to manage and apply digital signatures while ensuring the signatures maintain the appropriate level of trust and legality.

EaZySign is customizable to support a wide range of application needs. It is platform and operating system agnostic, allowing the signing process to be performed via web portals, desktops, and the most popular mobile platforms (iOS, Android) for easy access by end users.

The signatures rely on Belgian electronic identity cards (e-ID) or GlobalSign PKI-based credentials, and comply with PDF Advanced Electronic Signatures (PAdES) standards, as established by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI).

Mass Consumer Adoption
“The electronic signing process needs to be very intuitive and transparent,” said Geert Peeters, eaZySign project manager at Zetes. “In order to have this accepted by the masses, eaZySign has focused on an improved user experience, allowing ‘signing at home’ or ‘mobile signing’ as part of their solution. Our in-depth knowledge in encryption has led to a combination where ease-of-use and security empower the eaZySign platform.”

PDF Digital Signing Workflows Around Company Processes
iText was used to create the digital signing workflows, which are embedded in the eaZySign solution. Users can simply upload documents to the platform, making them available to end users for signing.

For example, an insurance company can create a workflow to collect signatures for end user agreements. In addition, Zetes uses iText’s Reading and Updating PDF Syntax (RUPS) tool to make sure each PDF document uploaded to the eaZySign platform is properly structured and will display correctly in the operating system the end user is utilizing.

“The PDF format is a natural choice for the eaZySign platform,” said Bruno Lowagie, CEO of iText. “PDF’s native features and functionality, such as metadata, allow for each signing session to be customized, which means each company using eaZySign can adjust the platform to best fit the organization and their consumers’ needs. Companies can allow multiple signatures in each document, enforce a signing sequence, bundle multiple documents for one signing session, and choose from a number of other options to produce the ideal signature solution for their individual needs.”

Digital Signing Certificates and PAdES Compliance
GlobalSign is a trusted timestamp authority (TSA) and provides the time stamping services required for the digital signatures created in eaZySign to meet all PAdES conformance levels. Including a third party timestamp verifies when the document was created and supports non-repudiation. EaZySign users will also have the option to use GlobalSign’s PKI-based document signing credentials in addition to Belgian e-IDs. PKI authentication supports a broader range of use cases, including individuals who need to sign on behalf of a company (e.g., brokers on behalf of an insurance company), or that wish to sign with their mobile device.

“We’re excited to be part of this game-changing solution that opens the doors to digital signatures for more businesses,” said Ben Lightowler, product manager of cloud services at GlobalSign. “Complying with PAdES standards is non-negotiable for many businesses interested in adopting digital signatures, and by including our time stamping services, Zetes is able to offer a solution that meets the long term validation and timestamp requirements necessary to meet all four levels of PAdES compliance. This compliance and the option to use e-IDs or a GlobalSign-issued PKI certificates as signing credentials means eaZySign can support virtually any use case.”

Webinar Showcase
The “Digital Signatures for the Cloud: A B2C Case Study” webinar will showcase how digital signatures work, share deployment options and examine a case study of digital signatures in action. The webinar will be offered twice at 2 p.m. GMT for EMEA participants and at 2 p.m. EDT for the North American participants.

For more information about custom PDF workflows and digital signature, please click here.

For more information about GlobalSign’s digital signatures, please click here.

About Zetes

Zetes is an international corporation specialising in the provision of identification and mobility solutions. By using the latest technologies, Zetes enables its customers improve the speed and quality of their process execution and increase data accuracy, which in turn helps them to remain at the forefront of their industries. That’s what makes Zetes both a pioneer and a market leader at the same time.

The Zetes Group is based in Brussels and has more than 1100 employees in 16 countries across EMEA. In 2013, its turnover was €211.5 million. Click here for more information.

About iText

iText Software is the world’s most comprehensive and best documented PDF library, empowering developers and companies to generate PDF documents on the fly, as part of their websites, internal systems or mobile apps. With iText, companies can automate high-volume document workflows programmatically, personalize from data sources, fill PDF forms, merge & split documents, watermark, digitally sign, and stay compliant with PAdES, ZUGFeRD, PDF/A, PDF/UA and other international standards.

With an open source API, iText gives developers the ultimate flexibility to program well-structured PDFs and build any custom document generation scenario, quickly and reliably. iText is available for Java, .NET, Android and GAE platforms via AGPL or commercial license.

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Recently we found Paul Madary's blog post about digital signatures in a Univeral Application (UWP) with iText 7, and we wanted to share it. Paul gracefully agreed to let us do that, and as a bonus we upgraded the code to be usable out-of-the-box with iText 7.1.3. The only change needed is the method SignDocumentSignature.

iText guest blog about digital signatures on GlobalSign!

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